NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 5, 2012) – New Haven Records President Ken Harding and RSI Music Group President Bob Rodgers have announced the signing of award-winning singer and keyboardist extraordinaire Gordon Mote to the Nashville-based New Haven Records, the home of Gold City, Chicago Mass Choir and The Country Music Hall of Fame Gospel Series. The label will release Mote’s newest project, Songs I Grew Up Singing, on July 17.
“Gordon’s vocal prowess and stellar musicianship have inspired audiences all across America. But more than his talent, his fans appreciate his ability to communicate the love of Christ to a world in need of hope,” Harding says. “We’re honored to be a part of Gordon’s future.”
Songs I Grew Up Singing is an inspiring musical diary of landmark songs that not only shaped Mote’s music and ministry, but also a generation of Gospel music lovers. The CD includes the Gaither classic “This Is The Time I Must Sing,” Dallas Holm’s “Rise Again,” Andrae Crouch’s “Through It All,” and the first single, The Hinsons’ “Call Me Gone,” which is already receiving strong airplay at Gospel radio.
“When I was a little boy, my parents would travel with my brother and me to sing in churches across the South. I remember the first time I heard these songs on Sunday mornings on WGAD in Gadsden, Alabama. They quickly became part of our repertoire,” Mote says, explaining why these songs are important to him. “Since then, I have had the pleasure of meeting so many of the writers and performers of the songs that have meant so much to me throughout my life. That makes this project even more special.”
Totally blind from birth, Mote’s childhood in rural Alabama was not quite the same as that of other boys his age. Many challenges faced the young lad, as well as his brother, who was also born blind. Nevertheless, the Mote family clung to the promises of God’s Word, particularly Jeremiah 29:11. “Our parents always encouraged my brother and me,” Mote says. “They believed we could excel in whatever we chose to do, as long as we placed Christ at the center of our goals and our lives, and that’s what we did.”
For the past six years, Mote has lent his considerable vocal and keyboard skills to the Gaither Homecoming concert stage, winning the hearts of hundreds of thousands of loyal Gospel music fans. He also can be heard playing keyboard on recordings from some of music’s biggest names, including Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson, Rascal Flatts, Lionel Richie and Alison Krauss. An outstanding instrumentalist, Mote recently was voted “Top Piano/Keyboard Player of the Year” at the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.
Bob Rodgers, Mote’s longtime manager and president of RSI Music Group, is pleased with Mote’s new label home. “We genuinely appreciate all the folks who have come alongside Gordon over the years,” Rodgers says. “We are grateful for yesterday and more excited than ever about tomorrow. We’re looking forward to the future with our New Haven family.”
Tracks on Songs I Grew Up Singing include:
1. “This Is the Time I Must Sing”
2. “Give Them All to Jesus”
3. “Who Am I”
4. “Shut De Door”
5. “God’s Gonna Do the Same For You and Me”
6. “Rise Again”
7. “Oh Buddha”
8. “Through It All”
9. “Getting Ready to Leave This World”
10. “Call Me Gone”
11. “Everything Is Beautiful”
For more information on Gordon Mote or Songs I Grew Up Singing, visit newhavenrecords.com.
Photo caption, top: New Haven Records is set to release Gordon Mote’s new CD, Songs I Grew Up Singing, on July 17. (New Haven Records photo)
Photo caption, bottom: RSI Music Group artist Gordon Mote, pictured second from right, has signed with New Haven Records, Pictured with Mote are, left to right, Vince Wilcox, director of marketing for New Haven; Bob Rodgers, president of RSI Music Group; Michael Puryear, publisher, Harding Music Group/Final Four Music; and Ken Harding, president of New Haven Records and Harding Music Group. (New Haven Records photo)
About New Haven Records:
New Haven Records is a Nashville-based music corporation that includes label, publishing, and film companies. For more than two decades, the label has focused on the uniquely American genres of Black Gospel, Southern Gospel, and Country and Bluegrass Gospel. New Haven’s product is distributed to the mainstream through Sony and to the Christian marketplace through Provident Music Distribution. Harding Music Group is the publishing division of New Haven Records. For additional information, visit newhavenrecords.com.
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact:
Julia Daily, Media Relations
New Haven Records
741 Cool Springs Blvd.
Franklin, TN 37067
Phone: 615-327-3300
jdaily@newhavenrecords.com
